movie theater

Ever since the single-screen Olympia theater in downtown Palmetto closed decades ago, the area north of the Manatee River has lacked a cinema.

That could change in about two years.

On Thursday, OM Cinemas — which operates theaters in three states, including the Parkway 8 Cinema on University Parkway — received the Manatee County Commission’s unanimous consent to build an 11-screen movie theater near the Ellenton Premium Outlets mall.

Yet concerns about adding more traffic to an already often-congested area around the Interstate 75 and U.S. 301 interchange almost became a show stopper – until the developer and the commission reached a compromise.

The commissioners approved a development plan for a 34,000-square-foot theater and 22,800 square feet of retail uses at what is now a 7.3-acre palm tree nursery at 5939 25th St E. (also known as Factory Shops Boulevard).

Yet they added a stipulation that, prior to County Commission approval of a forthcoming site plan, the developer and the county must enter into an agreement about cooperating on improving traffic conditions in the vicinity. The stipulation does not specify what traffic improvements will be done because those determinations will be the result of a required traffic study.

The pact will be required “before they can move to the construction phase,” Commissioner Betsy Benac said.

Getting the site plan adopted and completing construction could take 18 to 24 months, Caleb Grimes, attorney for OM Cinemas, said.

— Dale White covers Manatee County for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and can be reached at dale.white@heraldtribune.com

For film buffs who reside north of the Manatee River, however, plans for a movie theater that will cater to their neighborhoods moved a major step forward Thursday.

The Manatee County Planning Commission recommended approval of a request by property owner IMG Enterprises and contract purchaser OM Cinemas for a theater and commercial complex to replace a palm tree nursery near the outlet mall in Ellenton.

The County Commission will have the final say about the proposed 7.3-acre project at 5939 25th St E. (also known as Factory Shops Boulevard) on Jan. 5.

“It’s properly zoned but you have to ask to be able to use it,” Marvin said, referring to the submitted development plan.

Marvin said OM Cinemas already operates 80 screens in other theaters. Its properties include the Parkway 8 Cinema on University Parkway.

According to the Florida Division of Corporations, the company is registered to Pranav Thakker of Sarasota.

The theater will have a maximum height of 45 feet, Marvin said.

What businesses may occupy two outparcel buildings on the site has not been determined, Marvin said.

About 28 percent of the site will be open space, county planner Margaret Tusing said.

Mikki Segraves and Andy Branco, residents of subdivisions north of the mall off 60th Avenue East, said they do not oppose a theatre but expressed concerns about existing traffic congestion in the area.

“It has become a challenge,” Segraves said.

“The infrastructure can’t sustain it,” Branco said.

County transportation planner Clarke Davis said traffic impacts will be addressed at the site plan stage and that a left turn lane into the cinema for traffic on 60th Avenue East, the road leading to the outlet mall area from U.S. 301, may be required.

Caleb Grimes, attorney for OM Cinemas, said his client and the outlet mall are discussing making a traffic connection between the two properties.

— Dale White covers Manatee County for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and can be reached at dale.white@heraldtribune.com

A new movie theater is heading for a palm tree nursery site to the east of Ellenton Premium Outlets.

The project, known as “Ellenton Theater,” is slated to go before the Manatee County Planning Commission on Thursday and would give Southwest Florida its first movie theater north of the Manatee River.

The project site is roughly 9 miles from the closest movie theater competitor, Bradenton’s Royal Palm 20.

Om Cinemas is listed as the contract buyer for the 34,000-square-foot theater. The Sarasota-based company also is connected to the second-run Parkway 8 Cinema at Lockwood Ridge Road and University Parkway, according to records filed with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Corporations.

I.M.G. Enterprises Inc., which owns the 7.3-acre palm tree nursery, also has plans for an additional 22,800-square-feet of commercial space on the property, according to the documents.

Officials with I.M.G. Enterprises and Om Cinemas could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Site plans filed with the county don’t specify a use for the commercial retail space, but show a 9,983-square-foot box and a 3,278-square-foot box on the east side of the development. The theater neighbors the east parking lot of Ellenton Premium Outlets, according to the plans.

Ellenton Theater joins a small string of movie theater projects that have surfaced in Southwest Florida in recent years.

CineBistro, a luxury movie and dining experience, opened at Westfield Southgate earlier this year, and iPic, another luxury theater, is slated to open at Manatee County-based Benderson Development Co.’s upcoming East District at University Town Center. That development is expected to break ground sometime next year.

DeSoto Square Mall also is expected to revitalize its second-run movie theater, which has been closed since this spring.

Teicher Theaters, the longtime discount movie theater in Desoto Square Mall, closed for good this week.

The theater closed its doors on Aug. 11. It’s the second tenant in the mall to announce its departure since the Desoto Square Mall was sold at auction online earlier this month. The Macy’s department store in Desoto Square Mall said it will close before the Mall at University Town Center, a new luxury mall being built at University Parkway and Interstate 75, opens in October. Going out of business sales are expected to go on through mid-September.

At this time, it is not clear who is the winning bidder of the Desoto Square Mall. The auction closed with the highest bid of $33.75 million for the 680,271-square-foot property.

In the mean time, the mall will remain open, said general manager, Richard Bedford.

“We already have a successor for the dollar theater0 and should have a lease executed within a couple of weeks,” Bedford said.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Regal Cinemas will distribute “closed-captioning” glasses to more than 6,000 theaters across the county this summer, making it easier for the deaf movie goers to enjoy the films in Regal’s theaters.

Sony Entertainment Access Glasses are similar to 3-D glasses but are used for captioning. Users will see closed captioning projected from the glasses on the movie screen as they watch. The glasses also come with audio that describe the action on the screen for blind people and can turn up the sound for movie watchers who are hard of hearing.

It is unclear when Regal Cinemas locations in Florida will get the glasses, but all Regal locations will have them by the end of the year. Regal operates the Hollywood 20 on Main Street in downtown Sarasota.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.